This invention relates to a method and apparatus for recording or reproducing a flat field image, and in particular, to an apparatus that provides a high-quality and high-resolution image substantially insensitive to variation in illumination wavelength over a broad wavelength range.
Some image printers use lasers, such as helium-neon lasers or semiconductor laser diodes to generate an image modulated light beam for recording or reproducing an image or text either by exposing a photosensitive material (e.g., a film, plate, or paper) or by photosensitive charging of an electrostatic recording device. Currently available semiconductor laser diodes are small, cost efficient, operate in the milliwatt range and can be readily modulated at rates up to 5 GHz by modulating its driving current, which is desirable for high resolution printing. In contrast, helium-neon lasers are relatively large, costly, and typical require expensive optical components to provide high-resolution printing. Thus, semiconductor laser diodes are preferred as the source of a modulated light beam for recording in high-resolution printing.
High-quality printing is achieved when optical aberrations yielding variations in focus spot size across the printed image are minimized. For example, chromatic aberrations cause different wavelengths of the light beam to focus at different points. Although semiconductor laser diodes produce predominantly monochromatic light beams, they can suffer from chromatic aberrations because of power output fluctuations and multiple longitudinal mode operation that change their output wavelengths. In such cases, the chromatic aberration can produce unwanted image variations at the photosensitive material.